SuperFreakonomics on Car Seats

For kids 3 and over, data raise questions about efficacy

Seat belts are a simple technology; they have saved many lives since their introduction in the 1950s. Since then, however, concern over protecting children in traffic accidents has led to many models of child car seats, and many state laws requiring parents to put kids in them until they are six or seven years old. In "SuperFreakonomics," Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt compare the safety record of car seats and seat belts, going so far as to buy their own testing time at a safety rating facility. Their analysis brings into question whether seat belts actually perform any worse than newer technologies. Some people, including the Secretary of Transportation, are questioning these results. Here is "Super Freakonomics" co-author Steven Levitt's response.

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Comments [1]

june

I hate car seats for older kids! They are too wide to fit between the seat belts in my VW Jetta. The booster sits crocked and so does my son! Who hates it and can make it turn over when I go around a corner. He's a very tall 6 and should sit in a seat! not a car seat! I think it should be up to me to make the call.